


In Another Universe

by closedcaptioning



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 15:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18034073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/closedcaptioning/pseuds/closedcaptioning
Summary: L has seen every ending, lived through it again and again, and still -- he cannot find what it is he is searching for.





	In Another Universe

In the first universe, Light kills L and laughs over his body.

 

L dies, and the last thing he sees is Light standing over him, grin as wide and eyes as bottomless as the ocean. L’s hand reaches up and touches a god.

 

Light just smiles, eyes alive and dancing with the flames of a thousand suns, and L opens his mouth to say something, because he should be happy that he was  _ right _ , that he’s finally seeing what Light looks like when you peel back all those layers of beautifully sculpted deceit and insincere, sugar-coated lies, but all he can think is that  _ he lost this game _ .

 

Light laughs and laughs, and L reaches his hand up but his fingers fall before they can reach him.

  
  


/ / 

  
  


The next time is filled with whispers of sickly sweet affection, of snakes in the grass and the blood of roses. Light cards his fingers through L’s dark hair, and L can’t help but lean into it like an attention starved cat, complete with purring and all. He closes his eyes so he can’t see the darkness he knows is in Light’s amber eyes if he knows where to look.

 

L closes his eyes because he doesn’t want to believe that the first boy who he enjoys spending time with, who plays tennis with him, who whispers into his ear, who treats him like an  _ equal _ , is only playing a cat-and-mouse game with him. L wants a place where he can relax and hide and  _ forget _ , if only for a little while.

 

In the end, everything is the same. 

 

L closes his eyes, and doesn’t open them again.

  
  


/ / 

  
  


In one of the worlds, Kira never appears. L continues appearing only as a stylized gothic letter, and he never meets Light. 

 

L doesn’t know what becomes of Light in that world, but he assumes he goes on to become a police detective, get married, have kids -- be a  _ normal _ person, for all intents and purposes.

 

In that world, L’s life is filled with darkness.

  
  


/ /

  
  


In one universe, L ends up winning their game of life and death. After being exposed as Kira, Light drops his pleasant facade and becomes all claws and mania. The rest of the team is shocked, but L takes it all in stride. It’s  _ Light _ , after all. It always has been.

 

It ends up being Matsuda who kills him. His hands are shaking so he riddles Light’s chest with holes (too many to count) and Light falls, gushing blood like a sprinkler. 

 

L’s breath only hitches for a moment, even as Matsuda’s body becomes wracked with sobs. Soichiro’s eyes are empty, and Ide and Mogi look sickened. Aizawa briskly walks out of the room.

 

Even though Kira is gone, they’re all still haunted by Light. 

  
  


/ / 

  
  


L wakes up to Light hovering over him, hot breath fanning over his face. L blinks languidly, and Light huffs a breath of laughter against his face. “What are you thinking about now?” he murmurs, tracing a hand down L’s chest.

 

L doesn’t respond. He just  _ looks _ , lets his eyes trace up and down Light’s body, cataloguing details as he goes: Light’s feathery hair, his bright eyes, his sharp features and defined muscles.  _ You really are proportioned perfectly, _ he muses, and realizes too late that he’s said it aloud.

 

Light’s eyes only crinkle at the corners, though, and he leans down to press his lips against L’s, tangling his fingers in L’s hair. It’s soft and sweet, like a gently flowing stream that L could float away on. It’s nothing like their usual interactions, filled with heat and jabs and fire, but L still feels those same sparks.  _ Oh,  _ he thinks,  _ it’s one of  _ those _ universes _ , and returns Light’s kiss with fervor.

 

This time, when they’ve caught Higuchi, and L  _ should _ feel giddy enough to almost crack a smile but instead feels a coiling pit of unease in his stomach, he looks to Light first. This time, he acts on his instincts, like he always has in life ( _ follow your gut, L, it’s usually pointing you for a reason,  _ Watari had said,) and when he sees Light holding the notebook -- he wants that combination  _ gone _ , and plucks the notebook from Light’s hands without hesitation. 

 

Light blinks at him, eyes wide and guileless again, and L doesn’t know what to say, so he just leans in and kisses him.

 

One day, maybe L will tell Light the truth. But for now, he’ll leave things the way they are.


End file.
